Activision Subsidiary Raven Software Sees Layoffs

Wisconsin-based Activision subsidiary and Wolfenstein/Singularity developer Raven Software has seen multiple layoffs, according to multiple Internet reports now confirmed by the publisher. An official Activision statement delivered to consumer weblog Kotaku, after claims that around 30 to 35 employees were laid off at the studio, reads as follows: "With the recent completion of both X-Men Origins Wolverine, based on the summer blockbuster movie, and Wolfenstein, the next chapter of the famed franchise, Raven Software is slightly reducing its workforce to better reflect the studio's upcoming slate." Additional unsourced information from Kotaku claims that the studio has dropped from three internal teams to two, but the total consequences of the losses is a matter of some debate. Consumer site Shacknews also has a report which "puts the number of [layoffs] at 56 employees out of a previous total of 180 staff. Severance packages and placement support are apparently being offered to the affected staff." As well as its just-shipped titles, Raven is also developing the time-themed shooter Singularity, which was recently pushed back from its original late-2009 release projection to March 2010.